Times Aishwarya Rai defended Indian culture on international platforms

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won hearts when she wore the Miss World crown in 1994 bringing glory to the country After a glorious win she became a part of the Indian film industry with her prominent work in Hindi cinema She quickly became one of the most influential and popular celebrities not just in India but across the world She is among the most recognised faces in the West from India Over the years the actress has been a guest on popular international talk shows as well where she busted misconceptions about India that the West hadOprah Winfreys show 2005In 2005 Aishwarya Rai was invited as the guest on Oprah Winfreys talk show She was asked by the curious host if kissing is common in Indian culture to which she answered Itrsquos not really a familiar sight People kiss but it doesnrsquot happen around the street corner Itrsquos a more private expression of emotion so I guess art imitates life and that comes across in our cinemardquoOprah asked Aishwarya about the most common misconception people have about her She said that she found it odd when people assumed that because she spoke English she mustrsquove been educated abroad She said ldquoWhy would people think that we donrsquot study English And that kind of took me aback and really shocked merdquoOprah also asked the actress about the Indian culture of living with parents The host also mentioned that in America 30yeaolds would be kicked out by their parents in America With a smile the actress replied In India itrsquos more about the family about living together and remaining connected and thatrsquos probably the most special thingrdquoThe actor also spoke about the concept of arranged marriages ldquoArranged marriages in urban India would be like a global dating service where the families study each otherrsquos backgrounds and they bring couple together and they get engaged and they date and if it works they get along wit the alliance and if it doesnrsquot work they fall outrdquo she saidBack then Oprah had also asked Aishwarya if she would be open to an arrange marriage I will cross the bridge when I reach itrdquoFour years later in 2009 Aishwarya came to show with her husband and actor Abhishek Bachchan The couple tied the knot in 2007 And in 2012 when Oprah paid a visit to India the Bachchans hosted herOprah Winfreys show 2009During the show Oprah once again raised the question of Indians living with their parents in adulthood However this time it was Abhishek Bachchans turn to respond Speaking about Indias culture she asked the couple ldquoYou live with your parents How does that workrdquo Abhishek replied ldquoYou live with your parentsrdquo to which Oprah said that she doesnrsquot Abhishek then asked her ldquoHow does that workrdquo The audience burst into laughter and applauded his responseLate Show With David Letterman 2004Like Oprah David Letterman also questioned Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Indian culture when she appeared on his show ahead of the release of her film Bride and Prejudice in 2004 On the show Letterman questioned Rai about herself and India to better understand where she comes from Amid the line of questioning Letterman asked Do you live with your parents Aishwarya replied Yes to which he further asked Is it common in India for older children to live with their parents Aishwaryas quick wit was at display as she retorted ldquoItrsquos fine to live with your parents because Itrsquos also common in India we donrsquot have to take appointments from the parents to meet for dinnerLetterman also asked Rai Bachchan about why musicals are popular in Bollywood but not so much in the west To this she said That is definitely the Indian movie format It has been so for a long time and it is what we have grown up on and people absolutely love it I think it is also reflective of our culture which is celebration So we have songs for every occasion festival weddings It is kind of this whole thing of art imitates life and vice versa